Devices for storing and organizing sports equipment are used for a variety of purposes, such as transporting the equipment, storing the equipment while not at games, and keeping the equipment organized and easily accessible at the time of a sporting event. But the prior art relating to storage and organization of baseball and other sports equipment is lacking in several respects. Racks known in the art are generally sized to serve the needs of an entire team or at least a multitude of players. A These racks are generally designed to hold several pieces of equipment, such as a large number of bats, balls, or gloves. But an individual may desire to have a personal rack in order to keep personal equipment separate from that of others at games. With team racks, individual pieces of equipment may get lost or misplaced. Accordingly, there is a need to provide a sports equipment rack that can distinguish and separate one person's sports equipment from that of another.
An additional problem with a sports rack directed to an entire team is that the rack is most efficiently used only when the entire team or a multitude of players is assembled. While a team rack allows for convenient organization and storage at the site of the game, once the game is over and the players disperse the rack no longer becomes efficient for the storage of an individual's items. In particular, because the rack is capable of holding items of several players, an individual does not generally have a need for such a rack to store his own personal equipment once he returns home. There is thus need for a rack that can be used by an individual at games as well as at home and at other locations.
Smaller, more personal racks are known in the art, such as bat bags, but these bags are generally bulky and made of fabric, and are therefore difficult to manage and keep organized either at a sporting event or at other locations. Thus, both personal and team sports equipment storage racks known in the prior art generally have the problem of being large, heavy, and difficult to transport to games and use at games in view of the restricted space adjacent the playing field. There is therefore a need for a storage rack that is smaller, lighter, more portable, and easier to transport than the racks found in the prior art.
Because the racks of the prior art tend to be large and difficult to manage, another problem results from the fact that many racks will remain on the ground and create obstructions. This also increases the risk that the equipment will become damaged by people stepping on the equipment or hitting the racks. Accordingly, there is a further need to provide a sports equipment storage rack that does not create an obstruction and that protects the equipment from damage.
A further problem of storage racks in the prior art is that they generally lack the ability to distinguish the particular player or team possessing the rack. In particular, it may be desirable to have a storage rack that can display a team logo, advertisements of sponsors, and items tailored to the individual's own tastes. There is thus a further need for a storage rack that provides a usable display area.
Furthermore, storage racks found in the prior art are generally limited to holding items such as bats or hats or gloves. It is desirable to have racks that have even greater and more versatile storage capabilities. In particular, during sporting events there is often a need to consume beverages to prevent dehydration and to provide nourishment and refreshment. However, baseball dugouts and similar locations often lack a convenient place to put beverage containers. This creates the risk that drinks become misplaced, lost or accidentally spilled. There is thus a need to minimize these risks by providing a storage rack capable of securely holding a beverage container.